Water Damage Restoration Vs Water Mitigation

Water damage to your property can happen unexpectedly. There are several situations where solutions for mitigating and restoring water damage may be required. A busted pipe can flood your basement. Some poor maintenance could cause your dishwasher to abruptly burst and spill water all over your hardwood kitchen floor. Your property’s structure might suffer water damage from a spring storm that breaks through a leaky roof. Services for water damage restoration and water mitigation may be required in a variety of situations.

However, what differentiates water damage restoration vs water mitigation? Gaining a thorough understanding of the water damage restoration procedure will help you to better appreciate the work performed by professionals. Let’s learn more about water damage restoration vs water mitigation.

Different Types of Water Damage

The first step in solving your problem is to understand what it is. When flooding happens, you must take your safety seriously, so get knowledgeable about the situation! Water damage comes in three main categories:

Category 1: Clear Water

This pertains to clean, uncontaminated freshwater sources that have found their way inside your property. This may result from rainwater runoff or a burst pipe.

Category 2: Gray Water

This category is a bit more serious. If you come into touch with this contaminated water—which could be the result of natural or chemical waste—you face a probability of becoming sick or injured.

Category 3: Black Water

This is water that has been heavily contaminated and should never be approached without the appropriate safety gear. Black water can make you very sick since it can include sewage, chemicals, and other things.

Different Classes of Water Damage

Class 1

Without a professional’s help, this is typically a relatively small volume of water that may be handled at your property.

Example – A toilet or sink overflowing in your bathroom

Class 2

There’s a larger volume of water involved, typically from something like a basement pipe exploding. You will need to give yourself more time for the drying process and find a way to get rid of the water.

Class 3

Your property’s porous items have absorbed a lot of water. Whatever the reason for the water flow, it will not evaporate completely and will instead produce an extremely humid and moist atmosphere.

Class 4

Your property has puddles of water or worse. To prevent excess water and evaporation from beginning to damage the infrastructure, this will need to be professionally addressed.

Water Mitigation

Water mitigation keeps your valuables and property safe from more water damage. A variety of specialized tools and methods are used in the water mitigation process to reduce the quantity of loss, including:

•       Preserving the strong foundation of the property.
•       Protecting the structure of the property by boarding up windows, using tarps, and taking other needed protections.
•       Removing damaged materials and furniture, such as flooring and drywall.
•       Sanitizing and cleaning materials that can be reused.
•       Using commercial-grade equipment to remove water and dry out the property.

Water mitigation intends to stop the disaster from having further effects rather than to repair or replace lost goods. Water mitigation is sometimes merely a band-aid solution, even though it might prevent more damage.

Water Damage Restoration

Helping properties recover from all damage is the aim of the water restoration process. The following are typical water damage restoration services that may be offered, while the precise steps they take to recover every property will primarily rely on the extent of the water damage:

•       Fixing roof damage
•       Getting rid of mould
•       Replacing damaged flooring and walls
•       Testing the moisture and humidity levels to make sure all problems have been solved

Restoring the property to its pre-damage condition is the primary goal of water damage restoration. The water restoration process cannot start until the water mitigation phase has been completed since no repairs can be finished until all water damage issues have been addressed.

Water Damage Restoration Vs Water Mitigation

Water damage restoration will only ever be done, when necessary, after water mitigation. Water mitigation is to remove your property and possessions from hazards while preventing additional damage from occurring. On the other hand, water damage restoration works to fix the damage that water has already caused to your property.

Although they can be accomplished independently, a lot of licensed restoration businesses will use both techniques to restore a property that has suffered water damage.

Water Damage Restoration Vs Water Mitigation: Common Misconceptions

There are a lot of false beliefs in water mitigation and water damage restoration procedures. The following are the common ones:

Managing The Water Mitigation and Water Damage Restoration on Your Own Is a More Cost-Effective Approach

In some circumstances, this might be true, but in the long term, a poor restoration might end up costing you more money. For instance, the process of cleaning up after a flood may be too difficult or unsafe for you to handle alone.

Replacement Is More Cost-Effective Than Restoration

The structure and components of your property can often be cleaned and preserved for less money by using a water restoration company than by restoring them entirely. A skilled restoration company will know which materials can be saved and which ones need to be replaced.

Your Walls and Carpets Will Naturally Dry Out

Although drywall and carpets may eventually dry naturally, the main problem is that moisture can hide behind and beneath these materials. It is not worth the risk to expose yourself and others to health risks from mould exposure. To effectively lower the risk of mould growth, a professional restoration company can determine the amount of moisture present using modern meters and sensors.

Summary

In case of a water emergency, professionals may help you with either water mitigation or/and water damage restoration.

The issue could seem daunting, regardless of whether the water damage happened in your property or place of business. Now that you have an understanding of the differences between water damage restoration vs water mitigation, you can expect more from the restoration process. For unforeseen water damage problems, have all of the aforementioned information close to hand and call for a licensed water damage restoration professional to help you.